Fleet Management

Program to Stop Human Trafficking in Colorado Kicks Off

The Colorado Motor Carriers Association, Colorado Truckstop Conference, local elected and law enforcement officials will be kicking off an education and awareness campaign focused on combatting the human trafficking of underage children who are being forced to engage in prostitution.

The kick off will be held at Travel Centers of America in Commerce City, Colo. on Monday, Nov. 12. at 10 a.m.

The campaign will be launched in conjunction with Truckers Against Trafficking, a national non-profit organization, based in Colorado, who is working with the trucking industry to help truck drivers and truck stop employees recognize children and others who may be being trafficked as part of prostitution rings and report it to law enforcement.

The campaign will use materials developed by TAT including wallet cards, DVDs, posters, and other materials to help drivers and truck stop employees recognize and act when they suspect human trafficking may be occurring.

Human trafficking, a term for modern-day slavery, is a $32-billion worldwide industry with more than 27 million people enslaved. It has been reported in all 50 states, and the number of victims in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Conservative estimates state that 17,000 people are trafficked into this country every year.

While illegal, human trafficking is a booming business, second only to drug trafficking. Most of the people trafficked are women and children. Many of them are used in the sex industry. They are the prostituted people on the street, at truck stops, at strip clubs, and in motels.